Bio 417

LECTURE 15

Biotechnology for Improved pro-Vitamin A in a staple food crop

1
In plants, carotenoids are synthesised through the methylerythritol 4-phosphate pathway (MEP)

Glyceraldehye 3-phosphate + Pyruvate

Mg2+
deoxy D-xylulose-5 phosphate synthase Mn2+, TPP

deoxy D-xylulose-5 phosphate (DXP)

deoxy D-xylulose-5 phosphate reductase NADPH

Mn2+

Methylerythritol 4-phosphate
(MEP)
NB:
both DXS and DXR are rate limiting/bottleneck reactions in the
flux to carotenoids and a range of other compounds
MEP is a precursor for the isomers; isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and
dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) and these are precursors GGPP
The naturally existing mutant alleles in lycopene-e-cyclase (lycE) and b-carotene hydroxylase
(crtRB1) enhance accumulation of pro-vitamin A compounds in maize endosperm
whereas, the recessive mutant allele of opaque 2 gene (o2) causes a two-fold increase in
lysine and tryptophan levels in maize endosperm
Strategy!
PCR-based co-dominant markers of these alleles have been developed and used in Marker-Assisted
Backcross Breeding (MAAP)
to develop maize lines with improved pro-vitamin A and essential amino acid content
Such markers have been successfully used to identify donors and then introgress such desirable
alleles into cultivars/inbred lines with desirable traits
The Process entails;
i) using the markers to screen existing germplasm for presence of desirable alleles
ii) confirmation of the presence of the desired metabolic products in the screened germplasm

Should the MAAP approach be restricted to existing germplasm only?

Please participate!
Mutants of yellow maize derived through deliberate mutation induction can also be screened
for desirable alleles using PCR-based markers
I can consider a Bio 453/4 project on the “development of SCAR or CAPS markers to screen cowpea
mutant lines for desirable traits”
Please read;
Zhang et al.( 2012). Theor. Appl. Genet. 125: 235-
Garg et al. (2018) Frontiers in Nutrition https://doi.org/10.3389/